Clippers take down another elite team in Heat

Chris Paul and Eric Bledsoe lead a second-half charge that gives L.A. a 107-100 victory.

It would be easy to say Clippers point guards Chris Paul and Eric Bledsoe were the showstoppers during L.A.'s 107-100 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at Staples Center.

And that wouldn't be wrong, because they both came on strong in the second half, leaving Paul with a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists and Bledsoe with 12 points.

But it was also about the Clippers' adding to their collection of impressive victories over some of the NBA's elite teams.

They defeated the defending NBA champions with relative ease, building a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter.

“We're winning games right now,” Paul said. “That's what you've got to do. It's all about the process.”

The Clippers didn't let LeBron James' 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds stop them from their fourth victory in a row.

Paul scored the Clippers' final 13 points in the third quarter, helping them turn a two-point lead into an 85-74 advantage entering the fourth.

The Clippers slowed down Dwyane Wade, who started for the Heat despite a sprained left foot, holding him to six points on two-for-10 shooting. Chris Bosh, who made only three of 13 shots, had 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Clippers were more than able to overcome Miami's Big Three because Jamal Crawford had another strong game with 22 points, Blake Griffin had a double-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and Caron Butler had 15 points.

Now the Clippers can say they have taken down another big team in the NBA.

The Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs both have one loss this season, and those came courtesy of the Clippers.

The Lakers might be in disarray and working on their third coach of the season, but they also fell to the Clippers.

“You can't never get too high or too low,” Paul said. “It's a process and we're just building and building and building and hopefully we create our identity.”

Wednesday's game became the Chris Paul Show in the third quarter.

He began his personal assault on the Heat with two free throws, then made back-to-back three-pointers and five more free throws.

“Man, I hit a couple of lucky shots,” Paul said about turning it around.

Bledsoe took over in the fourth, scoring the first eight points for the Clippers, helping to increase their lead to 93-76.

“I didn't know that,” Bledsoe said when told he had scored eight consecutive points. “I was coming in to give Chris a blow, so I just came in and was being aggressive when I was in and just played my role.”

Part of his role is being a pest on defense.

Bledsoe had the highlight of the game when he leaped high above the rim and blocked a dunk attempt by Wade early in the second quarter, bringing his teammates and the crowd out of their seats.

“I had just turned the ball over,” said Bledsoe, who had four turnovers. “I feel like if I turn the ball over, I've got to get back. So I just tried to get it back. It wasn't nothing towards [Wade] But I didn't know I got up that high.”

On offense, Crawford did his thing as usual, scoring 14 first-half points. The second unit had 13 points and five rebounds in the second quarter, helping the Clippers stay within 54-52 at halftime.